This pencil is a game changer, except for one problem.

[@theladymeed4157]

Hi Kirsty, just a little correction - Staedtler Mars Lumograph have had a range of 'Black' pencils for ages, long before Faber Castell. I use heavily textured paper rather than smooth paper for my drawings and the Mars Lumograph Black are brilliant, but my work is representational and not particularly realistic. Thanks for all your tutorials!

[@bhackbob]

I second these pencils. They are great for doing darker areas of drawings

[@theladymeed4157]

@@bhackbob Yes, I use them for this too in my normal pencil drawings.

[@julychris2275]

She did a review on that one before.

[@ROBYNMARKOW]

I bought those too. They're really good( & less expensive than the Faber Castell ones 👍)

[@fernandocoye4416]

The 6B Mars lumograph black beats the Pitt 12B. The 8B MLB is more matte but not as smooth to work with.

[@eric_the_egggremlin]

it never occurred to me that other folks wouldn't already notice that. the more pressure you use with graphite, the more you flatten the paper, and the shinier it is, so using a smooth paper would be awful even with regular pencils. it's the same thing as with metal: texture makes metal dull because light doesn't reflect all in the same direction. idk I'm sorry if this is rude, I've spent way too much time feeling paper.

[@soniccookie655]

I really recommend trying a workable fixative or gesso with pencils. It both adds texture and adds a clear layer on top of pencils so you can add additional layers when needed. It’s especially great for colored pencils.

[@didomenico-art]

Hey Kirsty, I've been using these pencils for over a year now, even on the same or similar papers as you do: Fabriano Artistico Hot Pressed Grana Satinata and Strathmore Bristol Vellum (instead of Smooth = Vellum surface is textured more like Grana Satinata). I get similar results, though despite the weaknesses, I still wouldn't want to do without them. I have to say that for very dark tonal values I sometimes switch to a mix of media, I use black oil or wax based coloured pencils (which of course can also be shiny) and especially black charcoal. This helps to achieve particularly dark tonal values. Charcoal can be applied very evenly and I can also use wipers to blur the charcoal into smooth transitions. However, it should be black charcoal, because the usual charcoal has rather a brownish hue. It should also always be remembered that charcoal does not adhere to graphite, but only vice versa.

[@bonzibonnie]

Thank you my dear, I appreciate you! Ordered the B14, just to make sure I like this pencil. If I like it I will order the set. Again, thank you... Much love & blessings. I am truly a beginner😂. I have only drawn a couple of things, that I have liked, in my whole life..... I am 75....hopefully I have a few more years to draw something better. 😊. Thx

[@Yolanda_draws]

The fact that she has an onion in her room and doesn’t remember why it’s there made my day😂😂😂

[@CrimsonAkato]

probably took it to have as a refrence for drawing it but I guess she didn't draw the onion so completely forgot why it was there xD . my theory

[@jmsjms296]

Thanks, that was smart!

[@debtoth2570]

Onions are natural pest protection

[@JohnSmith-xb4ux]

The larger the drawing the smaller the mistakes will be, to the point that they are irrelevant. What I've also been seeing from Marcello Barenghi's KZbin channel is that he uses combinations of many mediums to finish artwork. He goes for realism with very brilliant results, which I don't like, stylizations is often where the beauty is. You have to decide from the start if you want to finish the artwork and at what standard, otherwise you're not setting yourself up for the best results. For example, when he used to draw a shell casing he started with a layer of watercolor to serve as based layer, then added pencil, colored markers, sometimes white gel markers ... until he got very good results. If you want very brilliant results you also can mix environments. So, in short, decide how good you want the artwork to be and don't expect 100% results from one single environment.

[@SyoDraws]

Very interesting advice. Thx

[@annamacfarlane1941]

Matt pencils

[@korukiwiarts]

I solved the problem years ago. Easy fix is not to press to hard onto the paper. Excellent post by the way

[@Crucial_End]

The reason for the extra shine on bristol is that there is much less texture so the graphite builds up to become a reflective surface while the small texture on the other paper breaks up the surface and makes it less reflective.

[@ianlaker9161]

Bristol board is best suited to line (ink) drawings in my opinion. It's coated so will give a reflection when graphite is used on top. It's similar to the kind of surface I used in graphic design at the start of my career a loooong time ago! Whereas pure rag (cotton) watercolour paper is uncoated and entirely matt so reflections will be dramatically reduced. I use the latter in (semi) retirement for my watercolour paintings throiugh my Etsy shop. Lovely work Kirsty. A reminder that I need to do more pencil drawing!

[@Feizan-2]

😊

[@whitneysnow-cypresshouston8666]

Do you have a video on How to preserve a drawing & how to store drawings safely?

[@JamieBoots]

Fabriano artistico was a good paper years ago, but when it was bought out the manufacturing process was changed. It now has a patterned finish that you can see in the video, most other professional artist I know stooped using it as I did. St Cuthberts Saunders Waterford and Arches Aquarelle both work much better for graphite pencil, and I can't say I have ever had a problem getting a dark tone. I found when I tried the Graphite Matt pencils that I didn't need to go past the 8B as there was no difference apart from whatever paper the 14B was used on it would shine to some degree. Personally I found that they tend to drag on the paper particularly when you get to the darker tones. Thanks for the video and hope this is also helpful.

[@ninner196]

I personally use either Arches or hp of a higher quality 100% strong fiber cotton. Hahnemule was nice to work on but I also use it for other media, we are all on a budget. I had a small set of FC matte pencils but for whatever reason I really enjoy Mars Lumigraph pencils and they go as dark as one could want. I do not have that shine on them and use Winsor &Newton professional fixative. I also like to use a very light pencil and continue my work in charcoal or colored charcoal with the subtle colors. I just enjoy how the Lumigraph feel in my hand because they feel substantial and that I wouldn’t drop them.

[@claritzairosario68]

Wow! I didn't know the importance of the paper for use this pencil! The difference of those type of paper is very remarkable to see the shine or matte of this pencils!😳 Thanks for sharing!!!❤

[@MissBrighteyes86]

Thank you for showing your room. Mine is chaos at the moment and it was really nice to see someone else be the same. I go from perfectly immaculate studio/office/room to hoarders cave way too quickly because I flutter about like a hurricane fairy when I move into carrying out an idea. 😅 And thank you for showing us the details about the pencils. 😊

[@jimcorbett3764]

I have been using a black colored pencil lately because of the shine I get from graphite. But I do love graphite, and this makes me want to try these pencils. Also didn't consider the paper, but now I will pay more attention. Thanks for posting this!

[@veystone2580]

You just need to go over the shinny areas with a colorless blender pencil and the shine goes away completely. I use the Prismacolor brand, I supposed any brand would work.

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Kirsty, I have enjoyed watching your videos and seeing how your techniques help beginners as well as professionals! Sometimes we are to close to a problem and we cannot see the solution. Thank you for sharing all of your amazing lessons over the years that you have been creating art and art videos! You are truly inspirational and so appreciated, thank you.

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Thank you for the lovely comment and for supporting my content over the years! Glad you have found my videos helpful 😁

[@kippertrace5808]

@@KirstyPartridgeArt I too had that problem. Thanks.

[@Littlewings1211]

This is really useful. I'll be honest, I got a few of these pencils in a Scrawlrbox forever ago and was really excited about the matte finish. I ended up not even having a chance to use them before I moved house and they got packed into a box never to be seen again (lol seriously, where does stuff disappear to when trapped in a cardboard box? It's like the socks in the washer/dryer conundrum 🤣) Anywho, I may have to have a dig around and find where I put them as this video reminded me of how excited I was to play with them.

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Aha yes I can relate we moved house like 8 months a go and there is still cardboard boxes with stuff we haven’t unpacked and I can’t even remember what’s in there 😊 once it’s in a box it’s doomed 😂 yeah it’s worth giving them a go, I think they are really nice to draw with

[@MusicalRaichu]

I've used black colour pencil with graphite to get the extra darks. I've never had a problem with it not sticking. Mark Crilley even wrote a book on it.

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Yes I also like using a black polychromos for the darks with graphite drawing, the only downfall is that it doesn’t blend out in the same way as ordinary graphite. I have done a video of different techniques I use to eliminate shine 😊

[@abbyp.5845]

I love seeing that you've uploaded a video!! I will rewatch older ones just to refresh myself on watercolor and to hear your voice ❤

[@stopthink7202]

I love the way you are so fired up in this clip. You can almost see the vapors of enthusiasm :-)

[@the-red-ghost]

I honestly wanted them for the same reason the 14 b the matte finish

[@dianeo]

Such valuable information! I wouldn't have thought to use hot press watercolor paper with these pencils. Experimenting and thinking outside the box is so important. Thank you.

[@eileencollins3126]

I got these at my local art store right after I watched your first video. WOW!!! I really like them, and have been using them ever since. When I saw the title for this video, I was waiting for my dreams to be crushed!!! Thanks so much for this video. Although my drawing skills are nowhere in the same ballpark as yours, I will be getting some of the Fabriano paper to try out.

[@danitheuerkauf7095]

I just ordered these and the Mitsubishi uni hi 8b pencils. Tried doing a bit of research and decided to try these 2 brands.

[@MrKfadrat]

btw. youre flattening the paper underneath the pressure, more graphite can reflect under the same angle, and you get the gloss. youre essentially polishing the paper with more and more layers of graphite. at the end if you dont want to have gloss on your pencils use charcoal, and dont press too hard either. its how dark you can get with the least of the pressure that seems to be a key. how about varnishing with ultra matt varnish?

[@Jenn-jg1qs]

Sinceramente I start following your advices I notice an upgrade on my drawings. Thanks for all your help.

[@PastelBrushes-n-Donuts]

Hi, Kristy. Thank you for sharing this. The depth & shine is the main reason I’ve preferred using charcoal - which has its own list of problematic issues. I’ll definitely pick a set of these. Thanks!

[@veystone2580]

You just need to go over the shinny areas with a colorless blender pencil and the shine goes away completely. I use the Prismacolor brand, I supposed any brand would work.

[@PastelBrushes-n-Donuts]

@@veystone2580 thank you for the tip.

[@Art_by_Nicole]

Ah, this explains a lot! But… what is the difference between hot pressed watercolour paper and coldpressed? How can I see of feel the difference? Too much tooth on the paper isn’t very good for my hands; I need to use quite some pressure to blend it out or I will still see the white dots of the paper. You know, it’s getting a bit confusing 😞 Thank you for your educational newsletters! Most of the time that kind of mail is junk but yours is really educational 🧡

[@oreganoh4094]

The difference between hot press and bristol smooth is shown in a similar way with my work with colored pencil and watercolor. I like both papers, but definitely worth testing out.

[@paulturner5339]

I'm not an artist so I may be talking complete bollocks here but I would have thought that the substrate (in this case, the paper,) would be the most important element that contributes to the final look of your pictures.

[@emberguard5009]

You’re not wrong, but as an artist I’m not usually swapping between a lot of different paper types for graphite pencils. Once I’m used to something it’s easiest to stick to similar paper types. Pencil does better on super smooth than it does on super textured, because too much texture and you can’t get fine detail. It’d feel weird on super smooth but it’d draw better. You do want a bit of texture just not the same amount as watercolor (for example)

[@briantripp8064]

I have a set of these pencils and find them good but I get better values using my staedler pencils, and the best ones I have are the creatacolour, oily charcoal pencils, really dark blacks

[@kityac9810]

I agree and noticed the same thing. I thought it was just me being "particular", so I truly appreciated this video. While I absolutely love the Pitt Graphite pencils, the paper really does matter when using them.

[@nBasedAce]

Thank you so much for this video! I just bought these but haven't used them yet. 🥰🥰🥰

[@Susiecat24]

I just found you and you are an unbelievably great artist! Like wow your portraits are beautiful.

[@EX0TUS]

Thank you Kirsty!🎉

[@scoiataeli]

Yaaay, so happy to watch a great new video and such a lovely haircut 😍 I have bought the 14B pencil just few days ago and the paper is such a gold advice 😍 It did not occur to me to try it on a different paper - off to have great results 👍

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Thank you very much 🥰 and glad the advice was useful for you! Hope you get some great results

[@KorriTimigan]

Okay, phew! Thank goodness, I saw that other video not long ago and had some delivered just last week. Imagine my panic seeing this one pop up in my feed! Still glad I bought them.

[@greekveteran2715]

My personal favorites, are the Faber Castell Aquarelle! Their 8B with some water goes super black, to the point that as a beginner back in the day, I was only using the HB and once in a while the 2B for the dark values. The are not like the Pitt Graphite Matt, however they aren't like the 9000 either, when water comes in, they work wonders, on many points of view!! You can do way more things with those, so they are way more versatile. You can even use them as a super quality normal pencil. Don't listen to others that Staedtler makes the best quality, that's not true. No other brand, comes close to Faber Castell, except Japanese brands on their 0.5/0.7mm etc leads for mechanical pencils, like Pentel Ain Stein for example. However, on wooden pencils, Faber Castell is the King !!!

[@a.u.2642]

Hi Kirsty, warm regards from Poland!!!❤🤍🌍I' ve only been following your channel for a while now and I am in awe of your work!!! I love it!!! 💖I am also curious about whether have you ever tested Faber Castell pencils from the collection Children of the World and if yes, what is your opinion on it?

[@jacqulineloncke8696]

So lovely to see your work

[@Nikke283]

Very interesting to know, because I finally try them ^^

[@mpsorrentino]

Smooth paper, I've noticed, tends to have a bit of a glossy look to it and reflects light more.

[@SysterYster]

I have actually used my black watercolour pencil a lot for pencil drawings with black in them. Because the watercolour pencil isn't very shiny, it's soft and easy to draw with, and it mixes well with the graphite pencils. The Staedtler brand. Before, I used the pencil EE - which was the blackest graphite pencil I had ever found (it's graphite and carbon mixed). But it's been hard to replace, as I haven't found on in stores for ages. I think I'll see if I can get one online.

[@addieschrepfer7344]

What’s the difference between these pencils and the mars Lumagraph if u could do a video comparing I would love it so much!

[@Miracletoikumo]

You're awesome Kirsty!!!

[@ChantelleArts]

These pencils look like a really cool set, I’m not a fan of the shine that graphite gives either

[@veystone2580]

You just need to go over the shinny areas with a colorless blender pencil and the shine goes away completely. I use the Prismacolor brand, I supposed any brand would work.

[@art.by.eddyeule1023]

I use the Pitt Graphite Matt pencils on PaintOn by Clairefontaine 😊

[@PaulDrawsArt-c4o]

thanks ill keep those techniques in mind 😊

[@pennypop408]

Very interesting I use the stadlier mars lumongraph black pencils and have had no issues. I am now going to test on all different papers. I generally use smooth or light textured watercolor paper. The 6b is very comparable to the Faber castels 14b. Dont ask my how lol. I tried then out in art shop before making my purchase. Love to see a show down video.

[@SolitaireZeta]

*Sees thumbnail* "Oh no! Do the Pitt Matte pencils have a design deficiency that causes them to randomly break?!?!?" *Clicks* Video: "Just don't use super smooth paper." Oh clickbait, you're such a card!

[@evetan6592]

Hi Kristy, thanks for sharing these Arts hack, they r useful. Do you have any hacks/tips for water colour pencils? I would look forward to your vid on that. Thank you.

[@miss-asketches5284]

Nice tip, thanks! 👍😉

[@jamesgowen4781]

Blackwing pencils are the ultimate. I use the Blackwing Matte, Pearl and 620. This gives me a range of value and along with variance of pressure.. the paper I use is bristol vellum.

[@31leoceara]

Have you tried the pencils from the Mars Lumograph Black line? They are also very dark with almost no shine.

[@sricharcoalworks]

After long..gap..happy to see you again..😻 👻 You always give good tips n techniques..😊 Kirsty the besty❤️❤️

[@taniele84]

Have you tried water soluble graphite? It’s a great way to combat the shine, though obviously is basically an entirely different medium in a sense lol

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Yes I have tried it once before on the channel. It didn’t go well lol 😂 it was a cool supply to use, not sure it was my cup of tea though but yeah I think it did get less shiny when activated with water 😊

[@emilyann2663]

I’m curious to know if a matte translucent fixative spray would help take away some of the shine? ❤

[@mjpete27]

I have had some success with workable fixative from Krylon, but any brand should do the job. I have even used it for color pencils to get more tooth for more layers! Good Luck!

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

I have just brought this fixative so I will give it a try 😊

[@ΝίκοςΜπακάλης-π5γ]

Ι got them recently and tested them on winsor and newton smooth paper. Not a fan because i couldn't reach the so called darkness and i had issues layering the graphite on the paper. I guess i will stick to the regular faber castell or test new paper sheets 🤷

[@franjames4086]

An amazing review of these pencils, thank you!

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Glad it was useful 😊

[@carloscs1007]

These faber castle can they be blended in turpentine? Does this method work well on them?

[@GarnetLynne]

Do you use fixative? It takes down the shine.

[@hannemarielorenzen3428]

Hi, Thank you for this. I can't get your links to work. Is there another way around? Thank you

[@neofytosneofytou1584]

Great video, have you tried Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black? I find them better than Faber Castell Matte.

[@linnetkazemi7616]

Hi Kirsty, thank you so much for all of your wonderful classes. I’m looking forward to the upcoming new class. I completely understand that for a skilled artist such as yourself, using a nice watercolor paper like Fabriano Artistico is worth it. I’m wondering if I’m practicing my skills with these pencils, will they be harder to use on a less expensive watercolor paper like the strathmore 300 series? If it makes a difference to how easily I will learn or make my learning better, I don’t mind using the more expensive paper, but if the difference won’t effect me too much, can the less expensive paper do? Thank you!

[@kelleyspartiatis4776]

I'm using faber castell paper and I love it. 40 sheets of A3 are less than £15

[@henrytjernlund]

How much do these pencils smudge? Does using a spray on fixative change the values much? Thanks.

[@Dizzy5878]

I bought them too but I’m not a fan. Didn’t think the paper could be an issue.

[@tweetie1999]

Thank you very much for sharing your checklist. Take care.

[@mirthagomez8730]

Gracias

[@salmasalam9648]

I have another kind of pencils that is 12B and it's cheaper but still leaves a bit of a shine

[@barbaracabrera207]

What a great artist you are!!! ❤️ TFS. Austin TX USA

[@gopiseth4523]

Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏 it's really so helpful to me

[@MrKfadrat]

my random garlic says hi to your random onion. its nice to know there is someone as messy as i am.

[@cosmiccoolboy8440]

Love your art i am also starting to draw by watching your vids thanks so much for the help😊

[@mattieblackeyes957]

I sometimes dream of art supplies shops, it's one of my happy places, and I once dreamt that I found a 20B graphite pencil. I peaked. I was so sad and disappointed when I woke up and realised it was just a dream.

[@lasarith2]

I’ve said before and she already knows - but the Polychromos black is even better black without shine, Derwent is good on seawhite paper ( staedtler too)

[@paulwoodford1984]

Strange how she never mentioned using the black Polychromos though

[@lasarith2]

@@paulwoodford1984 she did mention she uses it on the first video to me , but hardly anyone who doe’s pencil art think to use colour pencil for black .

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Yeah black polychromos is a great option for adding darks to graphite drawings, but it does still shine a bit and it doesn’t blend the same as normal graphite so I think these are a better option but both are good to use 😊

[@dellarts868]

Better than the Mars Lumograph Black?

[@elcaminante500]

Me encanta escuchar tu acento britànico jeje aunque no me queda muy claro si los dibujos a lapiz deben brillar o no, es recomendable o no que brillen? that is the question my Dear Kirsty

[@ffotograffydd]

I’m curious to know if you’ve tried the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black pencils? I’ve found them to be a bit better than the Faber Castell. But that too may be down to my paper choices, I don’t tend to use Bristol board unless I’m drawing in ink.

[@svenwhothehell5980]

Kirsty, great video I’ll have to give these pencils a go! What white highlighter would work well with these? Thnx

[@miguelcarreroquesada2728]

Hola ! Felicitaciones por tu teabajo ! Algo no entiendo en la traducción. Es mejor el brirtol sin textura, si? Que gramaje y formato es ? Gracias!

[@carltanner9065]

A little knowledge goes a long way. What should have clued you, and others, into this problem is the properties of the materials you draw with. Graphite and charcoal are basically carbon. However, their properties are a lot different. Graphite crystal structure is made up of tiny, microscopic plates not much larger than the atoms of carbon themselves. So, when you lay them down on something smooth, they tend to lay flat on that surface and when light hits that surface they reflect the light much like a mirror does. That's why the graphite then looks like a shiny mirror. The charcoal, on the other hand, is made up of particles of various sizes and shapes and the crystalline structure is a lot more amorphous. So, when light hits charcoal, it gets scattered in all directions and at varying intensities, making the reflected light look more dull. It tends to pool on flat surfaces in uneven clumps so one part might have more charcoal than the other and this makes the reflected light duller as well. So, what paper you use is very important. textured, cold pressed papers, are best for graphite, although a textured hot pressed paper will do as well. Not only is the paper itself less reflective, it allows the graphite to act more like charcoal because the graphite can get into all the nooks and crannies on the paper's surface and not act like a mirror. Charcoal will also work better on a textured surface as well. Smooth papers are best left to using things like ink on them. Even coloured pencils will do better on a textured surface, especially those that are more waxy, like Prisma's and other soft pencils.

[@Samtagri]

1:52 lol don’t ask me why there is an onion here….. buttt…. Anyway…. *changes subject*

[@veystone2580]

You just need to go over the shinny areas with a colorless blender pencil and the shine goes away completely. I use the Prismacolor brand, I supposed any brand would work.

[@pauljs75]

So it seems the "no-shine" stuff works better if you buy paper with more tooth to it. Paper has come with different ratings to it for a long time because the qualities influence a finished piece, but I guess this is one of those times where it shows more. (Usually the ratings are tooth, weight, and maybe water-fastness/bleed or coated as properties for artist's papers. The first two ratings will be for everything, and the last two matter more for watercolor, or working with ink or markers.) More tooth will hold more graphite or wax, but it's also harder to erase as well. The texture also affects feel when drawing, sometimes it's also easier to do fine line work on paper with less tooth since it's smoother.

[@brodesscholar]

So amazing

[@Umbralimage]

I use MARS Lumograph black, but they only go to 8B.

[@pinkpop37]

How do these compare to the steadtler mars lumograph black pencils? Can you please do a comparison video? 🙂

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

It has been a while since I used the mars lumograph black but from what I remember they were both similar but the staedtler pencils didn’t feel as close to graphite as the Faber castell pencils. But honestly it has been so long since I used those other pencils so maybe I will try them again in a comparison video 😊

[@AnnaRanjith]

love your art

[@somedude5951]

14B? I didn't know these pencils exist. 😋 Great. They most likely will also break immediately, when they fall on the ground though.

[@gooe9561]

Before watching this video I'll say that I tried these pencils and what I noticed is that the value gradient among the various types is poor. Compared to a regular set of drawing pencils, these have very little difference between them.

[@sunnyjoelandry3971]

Was that a Tribble I saw?

[@joeblankenship377]

These are the best I've found for a classic graphite feel that actually have less glare. I bought some Blackwing "Matte" pencils one time and was pretty disappointed. They shouldn't call them that. I got over Blackwing pretty quick. They're just regular pencils hyped up and overpriced. They don't even use the standard hardness ratings, your HB and 2B's and what not.

[@pennypop408]

oops forgot to say thank you Kirsty for your informative video :)

[@coastalphriends4913]

I almost panicked when I saw this new vid! I have been waiting for these to come in this weekend and have 2 drawings queued up! I was going to put them on Bristol. My first regular graphite drawing was on 140# cold press sketchbook (Pentalic) and it just wouldn't blend well due to the texture. So I will definately test further on whatever hot-press paper I have available now! Hopefully, not too textured! Thank you for the heads ups! Do you spray a fixative to your drawings after?

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

I hope you enjoy using them. Honestly, I had a bad experience with fixatives years a go (probably much down to my lack of experience than a problem with the product) and it put me off using them. But many people have suggested it would help with the shine so I am going to give it another try!

[@christopherseba5937]

Is mixed media paper ok to use for the alchol blend hack

[@valasafantastic1055]

I’ve never had a problem with black coloured pencil over graphite. Mark Crilley even has a whole book on it. Also how is it hard to plan the dark areas and not put a bunch of graphite there then fill it in with ink or charcoal? This is not inconvenient for me. I also love mixed media and see it as neat when you mix medias not a problem. Yes charcoal has an issue on top of graphite but not really the other media? Also always do paper tests the paper always makes a huge difference. It also hurts my chest to see expensive 100% cotton watercolour paper used for graphite as you can save so much money and use that paper where it’s needed; with watercolours. Watercolour truly benefits where there are much cheaper and equally effective alternatives for graphite. I also recommend the Faber-Castell dust free eraser and the staedlter mars black pencils too!

[@jennifersjunkmail5935]

In your example drawings, you don't tell us which paper is which. Or did I miss it? I assume the less shiny examples that you like better are on the WC paper and the shinier ones are on Bristol, but I don't see that explicitly stated or labelled. 🤔

[@FernCurtis]

Hmm…How can I say this nicely? Your comment makes me wonder if you actually watched the video because she clearly states the results she got on both papers and thus tells us which paper she prefers.

[@mjpete27]

@@FernCurtis I had to re-watch as I got confused Which paper was which! But she does say the watercolor paper is her choice for less shine.

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Sorry for any confusion. For the snail and dog drawing I used the Bristol smooth paper which had more shine throughout ( both the darks and mid tones shined) and for the portrait and objects drawing I used the hot pressed watercolour paper which only seemed to shine for the darkest shading but the midtone values stayed matte. Hope that clears everything up 😁

[@JedHurricane]

First matte black pencils? Ever heard of Staedtler 100B black pencils and long before 100B black, staedtler had a 7B and 8B carbon pencil in their lumograph set

[@KirstyPartridgeArt]

Yeah I got the ‘worlds first’ claim from Faber Castells website. Maybe there is a technicality in pencil lead ingredients that qualify it for ‘worlds first graphite pencils’ status. I have tried out those pencils once years a go but can’t remember much about them. It might be worth comparing the two.

[@sammys_Art_world]

Love the video ❤ The onion though😂... did one of the kinds take it there

[@81modus]

What about Wolffs carbon?